Another one?
by CoffeeSmokesAndDietCokes
Summary: Emily's mum and dad are going to flip when they realise that she just got a letter from Hogwarts, just like Harry did last year. Well, shit. Guess Dudley is the favorite child from now on then. [*This story is on Hiatus. I do intend to finish it, but I currently have too much stock in other fics to think about this one as well.*]
1. Emily

Another one.

**For the purposes of this making any chronological sense at all, muggle school finishes a few weeks later than Hogwarts. **

Hi, my name is Emily, and my life just got bloody bizarre.

Waking up to an alarm clock, I have decided, is the absolute worst way to wake up.

Wait, actually, it is the second worst. Waking up to my brother is the absolute worst, but he is just a pig anyway. I mean, he actually takes pride in being a bully! I haven't been at school with him this year, because he went to High School last september- a fact that he makes a point to throw in my face as often as possible- but alas all good things must come to an end. I turn eleven next week, and next month I will be following in Dudley's footsteps and attending Smeltings. What a ridiculous name for a school, honestly. It was an all boys school until recently, but a couple years ago they decided to merge Smeltings and the local girls' school together, and split by age group instead of gender. I wish they hadn't.

I had actually enjoyed my nap- despite the rude awakening- but I knew I needed to head down for dinner soon, so I pulled on a sweatshirt and made my way towards the stairs, pausing as I noticed a door ajar on my left. It was the door to my cousin's bedroom, and it was usually closed so that my dad and brother wouldn't bother him so often. He is a nice boy, my cousin, but my parents are scared of him so they treat him like crap. The thing is, there is nothing I can do to help him other than occasionally sneak him food. My parents think the stash of biscuits in my bedside cabinet is for me, and I will let them think that for as long as necessary, but really they are there for when Harry gets his meals taken away. That, at least, I can do for him.

I peer through the door, and notice something on his bed. I don't actually know what it is, but I'm also not sure whether I want to. "Um," I say, "hello?"

"Emily, why are you looking in my room?" I hear from behind me, as Harry's footsteps fall across the landing. I can tell that they belong to Harry because mum has heels that click on each stair, and dad and Dudley both sound like elephants when they walk anywhere.

"I think you have a guest." I reply, pushing the door further open so I can walk inside, with Harry following. Spotting the thing on the bed, Harry's eyes widen, and he quickly shuts the door behind us. It is rather odd, I think, to listen to a creature- a _house elf_ apparently- telling your cousin that he must not go back to school for fear of 'terrible things'. But then, I guess, having a cousin who is a wizard probably falls into the category of 'odd' as well. Maybe I don't have a particularly good basis for what constitutes 'odd' in the first place.

Soon though, I hear my dad thundering up the stairs. "Shit-" I mutter. "Tell me everything later," I hiss at Harry, then open his bedroom door to see dad stomping towards me. He looks baffled to see me coming out of Harry's room.

"What the ruddy hell were you doing in there?" he bellows.

"Sorry, Dad, I needed help with my maths homework and I didn't want to interrupt your dinner. I thought it would be easier to just ask Harry but I knocked over my books- I'm sorry if I made too much noise."

Dad stared at me for a moment, but I have always been a good liar and mum and dad always believe me- they know I am much better behaved than Dudley and since they never punish _him_ they don't bother with me either. Lucky trade, I guess.

"Keep it down then," Dad finally responds. Obviously he doesn't want to keep his guests waiting too long because he turns quickly and thunders back down the stairs. Looking at Harry's door, I decide going back in would be too risky in case Dad comes back, so I head back to my room and get started on some actual homework. I don't have any for math, I finished it already, but I do have a History paper due in a week. (It is actually due _on_ my birthday, which I think is a bit unfair really, but at least if I do it now I won't have to _think_ about it on my birthday.)

As I settle down at my desk, I realise I will probably have to sneak some food for Harry later as well as getting my own dinner. For now, though, I pull some digestives out of my draw and start reading a passage on _Italian loyalties in the Second World War_. History was the worst.

My birthday was on a Friday this year, which kinda sucked because it meant that I would have to go to school but at least I could then relax over the weekend. Being one of the youngest in the year could get quite annoying at times too, but knowing that there was only a week and a half left of school also helped to brighten up the day.

I woke up to singing- terrible singing, mind you- and the smell of bacon and eggs as mum, dad and dudley crowded around my bed. I saw Harry pause in the doorway and he smiled at me, before ducking into his own bedroom. I knew he would come and say Happy Birthday to me later, he always did.

About an hour later, after a long shower and the breakfast that Harry cooked complete with a strong cup of tea, I felt a lot more human. As I walked down the stairs I noticed that the mail had been delivered, so I picked it up off the mat. Looking down however, I stopped dead. The letter on top was addressed to me,

_Miss E Dursley_

_4 Privet Drive _

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

Oh, I knew what this letter meant. Shit. This was not going to go well at all. I ran quickly back upstairs and into Harry's bedroom, who yelped and covered his chest with the T-shirt he had been about to put on. Closing the door quietly behind me I turned to him and held out the letter. He stared.

"That- that's addressed to you." he faltered.

"I can see that."

"You're a-"

"Freak," I supplied.

"You are not a freak. Blimey Em."

I sighed. "I know, I'm sorry, but what the hell am I going to tell mum and dad? Will they let me go? What if they lock me in or something or-"

"Emily," he interrupted. "They aren't stupid, they know what we can do, and the school wouldn't let us just disappear. Ron and his family will help us if we ask." Harry opened his window as he spoke, and then moved to Hedwig's cage, unlocking the door.

I nodded, and watched the owl as she flew to the window, then out into the street. Harry had told me all about Ron, and Hermione, almost as soon as he came back from school. He seemed sad when he thought they hadn't been writing, so knowing that Dobby had been keeping the letters from him brightened his spirits a lot too. Not that he managed to read the letters that Dobby had stolen, but at least now he could speak to them again so long as Hedwig was well behaved. She was, actually, she seemed to realise that Harry's freedom was at stake.

"Does this mean I can get an owl?" I asked hopefully, and Harry smiled.

"Yep," grinned Harry, "in fact, that is what I am going to get you for your birthday. Now, shall we go get the reveal over with?"

Shuddering slightly, I nodded, and Harry took my hand as we walked across the hallway and down the stairs. "It's going to be okay" he whispered. I just wish I could believe him. I didn't let go of Harry's hand as we walked into the kitchen, I don't think my legs would have held me up if I did, so as soon as we entered Dudley sneered.

"Why are you holding onto _him_?"

My legs felt numb and shaky, and I squeezed tightly before letting go of Harry's hand to pull the letter out of my pocket. "I got a letter from Hogwarts," I blurted, but I could not bring myself to look at the faces of my parents. Reaching out, I felt Harry take my hand again, and breathed deeply. It was going to be okay, he promised, so I steeled myself and looked up.

Mum had gone as white as a sheet, staring at the letter in my hands. Dad had turned his usual ugly shade of purple, but seemed to be glaring at Harry. Dudley looked gleeful, obviously aware that this made him the favourite child for good.

"Another one?" stuttered mum.

"I'm going," I told them. "You're not going to keep me away from that school."

Really, I should have known that going on the defensive was a bad idea, especially with dad looking so volatile, but it's a reflex, honest!

"Oh are you?" sneered my dad, a look of complete loathing on his face. "What in the hell makes you think that you can control that decision, eh?" He started forward towards me, but Harry jumped forwards and spread his arms.

"No!" he yelled, and dad stopped dead. After a moment I realised that he wasn't moving because he _couldn't_. Harry had done something to him, to protect me. Mum obviously realised this at the same time, because she shrieked and ran to dad's side, poking and prodding him in a futile attempt to release him. I knew it was no good. Harry was angry, I could see him shaking and his arms remained outstretched shielding me from any harm. I heard a knock on the door, and Harry turned his head to me.

"Go open the door, if it is a red-headed family bring them in here" he begged. I could see the fear in his eyes, and knew he didn't dare move in case the spell broke. Running to the door, I threw it open and sure enough there was a clan of red-headed men on the driveway. I beckoned them forward and ran back into the kitchen.

As soon as the family reached the kitchen, the eldest boy brought out his wand and waved it, releasing dad from whatever had caused him to freeze but also erecting a translucent shield between us and where mum, dad and Dudley all stood. Dad made to walk towards it, but the elder boy spoke, "don't try to break through, it will only electrocute you."

Sneering at the boy, dad continued forwards, but sure enough as he reached the large barrier he was jolted backwards to where he had been, so he just continued to glower. The boy turned to Harry, "Dad will be here soon, but I figured since you called it was a time sensitive matter, are you alright?"

Harry sunk to his knees, breathing heavily. "I thought-" he started, and turned to look right at me. "I thought he was going to hurt you."

Kneeling down, I pulled him into a hug. "You protected me, thank you."

"Always" affirmed Harry, and he looked at me as though he was confused. "I would never let anyone, let alone _him_, hurt you." Then he turned to assess the redheads, who were stood awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen. "Bill, I take it?" he said to the oldest, who nodded. "Okay, Em, these are the Weasleys. Weasleys, this is my cousin Em, who got her Hogwarts letter this morning. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Actually," I interrupted, "how exactly did you know to come? And how on earth did you get here so fast?"

Bill chuckled, and pointed to a spot in the hallway. I peered around to see Hedwig on the banister by the front door, which was still wide open. "I sent an owl," Harry explained. "Ron told me when I left Kings Cross that in an emergency, I should send Hedwig with no letter, and that he would come as soon as possible. I didn't think I would need to, but-" he trailed off.

"Which one of you is Ron?" I asked, looking at the boys. When he raised a freckled hand, I walked over to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," I whispered. I noticed that he blushed quite hard, and held back a laugh.

Just then, there was another knock at the door. One of the twins stretched his neck to see the front door, and called out. "Hey, Dad, we're all in here."

A slightly balding man appeared from the hallway, although I could tell that his hair had one been as full and red as his children's. The man frowned as he took in the scene in the kitchen. "Alright, who put up the shield?"

"Me." volunteered Bill. "Harry froze his uncle, seems Emily here is a witch and they didn't respond so well, so I put up the shield when we got here and unfroze him. Not sure if we will be hearing from the ministry soon but they don't seem to have called _yet_." I frowned, surely the ministry wouldn't reprimand Harry for doing magic to protect me, would they? I said as much, and Bill sighed. "I should hope not, especially if we can all confirm the story, but they can be bloody difficult at times to be honest."

Mr Weasley looked around the kitchen, then spoke directly to the my mum and dad, who were looking rather unhappy at the crowd of people who had accumulated in their home. "I am taking Harry and- wait, Emily?" he threw a questioning glance at me, and I nodded. "-and Emily back to our home. They will stay with us for the summer. You may write to them if they wish you too, however I very much doubt that. Kids, go and pack please."

I couldn't believe it, I got to go to the Weasleys' instead of spending the summer here, and then I got to go to Hogwarts? Fantastic! As Harry and I headed into the hallway, followed by the Weasley boys, I could hear Mr Weasley shouting at my dad.

"Bill," said Harry suddenly, "could you unlock this cupboard for me please?"

Bill waved his wand, and Harry grabbed the door, but as he opened it one of the twins spoke. "Harry, why is all of this under the stairs?" Huffing slightly with the effort of heaving his trunk out of the cramped space, Harry replied.

"They don't like magic, they locked it all away."

Bill growled, and turned to the other boys. "Charlie, take care of the packing and transport, I'm going to go have a word with dad." Then, he turned and swept into the kitchen, shoulders hunched and looking quite scary with a grimace on his face and his fists clenched.

The boy who I assumed was Charlie took out his wand and pointed it at the contents of the cupboard. Everything of Harry's packed itself neatly into the trunk, except for a his wand which flew towards Harry and hovered in mid air until he grabbed it. Grinning at Charlie, he went to pull the trunk again, but Charlie held out his hand. He waved his wand once more and I watched as the trunk shrink to the size of a lunchbox. "Won't be so heavy now, either," said the boy, who then turned towards me. "I can help you with your packing as well, if that is alright?"

I beamed, and took off up the stairs, slowing down at the top just to make sure that the boys were able to follow me. As I entered my room, I quickly threw a few pieces of random clothing and underwear into the washing basket, and retrieved my favourite hoodie from inside. I might be willing to leave things behind but there was no chance I was not taking my Gilmore Girls hoodie. I adore the show, and honestly Rory is probably the only person in the world who reads as much as me.

Having said that, from the stories Harry has told me maybe Hermione might give me a run for my money. Shaking my head slightly to refocus, I started pulling clothes out the chest of drawers in the corner. I know I will be wearing mostly robes at school, but I need something to wear at the weekends and over the summer. If I won't be coming back in the holidays- and judging from dad's response this morning I have a feeling I won't be welcome back for them- I need to make sure there is something for the winter in my suitcase too. Deciding on a few pairs of black jeans, I turned back to my drawers and pulled out a pile of T-shirts. I may be an eleven year old girl, but I don't dress like most the girls in my class. I prefer a plain black or grey t-shirt and jeans to a dress any day of the week, but I also grabbed a dark green summer dress and threw that onto my bed too, just in case. I blushed lightly as I pulled open my underwear draw and threw as much as I could into my old P.E. bag, grabbing my thick fluffy socks too because Harry had told me the castle could get cold at night sometimes.

Spinning around, I noticed that Harry and Charlie were stood in the doorway watching me with bemused expressions on their faces. "What?" I snapped.

"It isn't a race, Em," teased Harry. I ignored him though, walking over to my bookcase and looking at the collection. This was probably going to be the hardest thing- deciding which books I could take with me. Obviously I couldn't leave behind my copy of _When We Collided_. Dad had told me I was too young, but I had read it at least fifteen times by now. I would never leave that behind, but looking at the shelves I realised I didn't really want to leave any of them. "You know," came Charlie's soft voice from behind me, "Hogwarts has a fantastic library. Any book you can think of. You don't need to take any of those with you."

Peering up at him, I realised that my eyes were starting to tear up. "I love to read, I don't want to leave any of them behind," I admitted. Blinking furiously, I turned back to my shelf and picked up the copy of _My Sister's Keeper_. If nothing else, I was going to have my favorites to hand. If I couldn't make friends at school, I could at least have my best girls in literature.

"Understood," nodded Charlie. "Maybe just take a couple though?" I didn't reply, but I did move away from the bookcase and started packing everything into my suitcase. "Let me," said Charlie, and waving his wand in a large arc, I watched as everything on the bed folded itself neatly into the case, which zipped shut then shrunk to the same size as Harry's trunk had done downstairs.

Grabbing my toiletries bag from the side I darted across the hall into the bathroom, loading my shower essentials and grabbing a few sanitary pads from the box in the corner- I may not need them yet but Christ I was going to have some available for when I did- I skipped back into my bedroom to find Charlie there alone. "Ready?" I called to him.

"Ready" he agreed. Then he grabbed the lunchbox-sized suitcase from the bed and followed me downstairs.

"Ready" I whispered to myself, "for a whole new start."


	2. Weasleys

**I actually really enjoyed writing the first chapter even though I don't tend to enjoy writing in the first person. I think it might be because I enjoy being able to be more descriptive from a personal perspective- who knows. Thank you for reading so far, but please leave reviews if you like my work (or even if you don't- tell me what i'm doing wrong!)**

I remember packing everything into my suitcase, and watching it shrink down to the size of a small cat, but that does not make it any less surreal to be carrying basically all my worldly possessions in such a weightless vessel. Ok, so this magic stuff is much cooler than I thought. My parents' view on magic meant that anything Harry could tell me had been done behind closed doors, and we didn't often have too much time to sit and chat because dad usually came and interrupted us with more chores for him to go and complete. It is pretty exciting now that I am getting to see everything up close.

I don't think I have ever actually shown signs of accidental magic as a kid, but then I guess mum and dad probably blamed Harry if I did and I never bothered to question it. Well, lesson learned. Time to start questioning.

I followed Charlie down the stairs, slowing down a little as we reached the bottom. They might be my parents, but after this morning I really don't want to see mum and dad at the moment. Honestly, I can't quite believe that Dad lunged for me the way he did- it was pretty scary! Charlie seemed to notice my hesitation, because he reached back kindly, taking my hand and whispering at me to relax. He seems like a good brother.

We waited by the front door, where Ron, Harry and the twins were stood already. Bill and Mr Weasley were obviously still in the kitchen, but it was slightly worrying that there didn't seem to be any talking any more. Hearing footsteps, I turned to see somebody new walking into the hallway. It was a woman, tall and blonde with kind looking eyes.

"You must be Emily," she said, her voice soft and musical. "My name is Amara Figg, and I work for the Ministry of Magic. Do you know what that is?"

I nodded. I also realised that I was staring at her, but she was very beautiful and I wasn't quite sure where else to look, so I didn't bother to change the fact. She didn't seem to mind, though, and carried on talking. "I came because your cousin used magic, which is not allowed outside of Hogwarts, but I have been told that he was doing it to protect you- is that right?" I nodded again. The woman was bound to think I was stupid if I didn't say anything soon, but I couldn't make my mouth move. I wanted to ask if Harry was going to be in trouble, I wanted to ask if we could still go with the Weasleys, I just- couldn't. Luckily, Amara seemed to take pity on me, and she answered my unspoken questions.

"Your cousin is not in trouble, because he was protecting you. It is not illegal to do magic in life-threatening situations. We just wanted to check that you were both alright, but also to give you some options. Now, I understand you may wish to go with the Weasleys for the Summer, and that is fine. However, due to the situation that has arisen this morning we at the Ministry of Magic feel it would be best for you both to remain independent of this household from now on. That is to say- you never have to come back here again. Harry, we have made contact with your godfather, who has said he is more than willing for you both to come and live with him. The Weasleys have also said that you are welcome to stay there for as long as necessary. This is a lot of information and we do not expect you to make any decisions immediately. Your godfather, Remus, will be coming by the Weasley's cottage tomorrow so you can meet, I hope that you will be able to form a relationship with him regardless of whether or not you choose to live with him from now on. There are two months until you will both be going to Hogwarts, by which time I hope you will have made a decision. If you need anything, please feel free to write. Address it to myself in office 72, and it should find me, but Arthur knows where to find me as well should you have any trouble." Amara looked at the stunned faces of the children in front of her, and smiled kindly. "I know, a lot of information, I'm sorry. Please be sure to think over your options and get in touch if you need anything. I must be going, but Arthur and Bill will be along shortly to take you all back to The Burrow. Take care."

I blinked a few times, but she was gone. I turned to Harry, who looked just as baffled as I felt. "Did you know you had a godfather?"

He shook his head, no. Before he could say anything though, Mr Weasley and Bill were walking towards us.

"Right-" huffed Mr Weasley, "have we got everything? Shall we go?" Harry and I both nodded, and I felt somebody take my arm.

"Just hold on, and remember to breathe." Charlie muttered in my ear, and then all of a sudden it felt like I was being forced through a dark rubber tube. _Remember to breathe_. I could hear Charlie's voice in my ear again and forced myself to take a deep breath. It definitely helped, my stomach stopped feeling like it was contracting harshly at once and my lungs felt less squashed. Barely a second later, I felt my feet touch the floor again, and I opened my eyes to see Bill, who was holding Harry and Ron by the arm, as well as Mr Weasley, who had a twin gripping each elbow.

Glancing forward, I gasped as I saw what must have been The Burrow. It was a strange place, with between three and five floors depending on which angle you approached from. None of the floors were completely on top of one another, in fact it seemed as though the house had been put together by toddlers who were playing with Lego for the first time.

"Welcome home," mouthed Charlie. Looking up at him, I noticed for the first time that he had a scar across his neck which disappeared beneath his shirt on his left shoulder. Resolving to ask him about it later, however, I went back to staring at the house.

"Are you coming?" called one of the twins, who were already half way down the drive. Smiling widely, I skipped forwards. This was going to be a good summer, I could feel it.

Walking into the kitchen for the first time was like something out of a storybook. There was a scarf on one of the armchairs that was _knitting itself_ for goodness sake, and I decided then that no matter what I was going to make the most of learning magic. Of course, I have always loved reading, ever since I was a child. I have always been able to read better than Dudley, too, which just made him make fun of me more. The trouble is, The Burrow was nothing like anything I had ever read, so it just felt too good to be true. Harry, who had never been here before either, seemed equally entranced, and we were both gaping at the room when a squeal could be heard from somewhere deeper inside.

A moment later, a young redheaded girl had come skidding around the corner, wearing light blue jeans and a black hoodie. She halted when she saw us, and surveyed me carefully before spotting Harry. I could tell when she noticed him because her eyes went wide at once. I had forgotten, in all the excitement of the morning, that Harry was famous in his world. He didn't tell me much about why, when I asked, other than that it was something to do with his parents. I had gathered that much from when Hagrid came to see us, but Harry seemed upset so I didn't think it would be worth pushing the matter. Now though, as the girl regarded Harry with wonder, I remembered how he had told me it made him uncomfortable for the first few months at school.

Well, when in doubt- divert attention. I cleared my throat. "Hey, I'm Emily."

The girl looked at me, startled, then smiled brightly. "I'm Ginny," she replied, then she glanced over to where the boys were standing. "You're Ron's friend Harry, right?"

He nodded, looking a little relieved. "Yeah, hi." I noticed that he was looking a little awkward still, so I moved towards the girl.

"Do you go to Hogwarts too?" I asked her.

"Yep-" she grinned. "Well, I start this year. I'm super excited." I knew this already, of course, Harry had told me little bits about Ron and his family- though I was a little shocked to find out it really is as big as he said it was.

"I start this year too, I'm glad I will know somebody at least! Other than Harry of course- I'm so excited to learn everything."

Ginny quirked her eyebrow at me, "What do you mean?"

"Well I didn't know I was a witch, I only got my letter this morning. Thank goodness Harry had the brains to send Hedwig here or who knows what would have happened- my parents might not have let me come!" I explained, but Ginny still looked confused.

"Ginny," came Bill's voice from where he had taken a seat on the edge of the dining table, and for the first time I noticed that everybody else seemed to have dispersed as me and Ginny spoke. Ginny was looking at Bill who seemed for a moment to be trying to communicate with his eyes, to no avail. "This is Emily, she is Harry's cousin. Emily's parents are muggles and didn't take too kindly to the news that there was another magic child in the house so Emily and Harry are going to be staying with us for a while, okay?"

The young girl seemed to pale visibly. Turning to me, she started blabbering immediately. "I'm so sorry, were they horrible to you? I hope you don't mind sharing a room with me while you are here- unless you want to share with Harry- who would you prefer? I honestly don't mind- are you alright though? Were you hurt-"

"Stop." I shouted, watching the girl becoming more and more frantic. "I'm fine, Harry protected me from my dad but we are both okay, and of course I don't mind sharing a room with you but only if you _stay calm_."

She laughed, and turned on the spot. "Well then, follow me," she proclaimed with a flourish. Then she skipped off through the house and up the stairs whilst I followed behind her. We climbed up to the second floor before taking a door to the right. It was quite a neat room- nothing like my own at home. Although, the thought made me pause in the doorway, I supposed that mum and dad's house wasn't going to be my home anymore. Shaking my head slightly I moved further into the room, taking in the bookshelf that spanned across an entire wall and came up to about my waist. I knelt down and started reading the spines, nodding my head when I heard Ginny asking if I liked to read.

"I love it," I said, not looking up from the shelf. "I can always find a friend in a book."

"Me too, and I live with six brothers, so books are my only source of girl talk."

"Ew- I thought Harry and Dudley were bad enough."

"Who is Dudley?"

I hesitated, knowing that this was going to be a difficult conversation. "Can I get Harry before I explain that?"

She nodded, then headed for the door again. "Come on," she said, "I will show you up to Ron's room so you can find him if you need anything tonight too." Ginny took my hand, pulling me up the stairs to the very top of the house and leading me into a room that looked like a furnace- orange everywhere! After a moment, I realised that the orange was due to the room being plastered with posters of what looked like either a sports team or a band- it was hard to tell. Looking further into the room I noticed Harry reclined on a bed, which had the same orange poster design on the covers, and Ron sat on a stool in the corner leaning on the windowsill.

As we entered, the boys both looked up. "Em, everything alright?" Harry was on his feet in an instant, and I smiled at him, shaking my head fondly.

"I'm fine, but I hoped you might help me explain to Ginny what happened this morning and- well maybe laying everything out in the open might help me process it too."

Harry nodded, and pulled me into his lap as he sat back down on the bed. I shoved him slightly and slid onto the covers at his side whilst Ron snorted out a laugh at us. Ginny took a seat on the floor in front of Ron and leaned back against his calves. Standing up again, Harry headed for the door and poked his head out to the stairs yelling "FRED! GEORGE! Story time if you're interested!" Then he returned to my side.

A moment later, I heard the thundering of running footsteps on the wooden stairs and chuckled to myself. I was a little surprised to see Bill and Charlie enter just behind the twins, but hang in the doorway with an air of uncertainty, so I motioned for them to come in too. Once everyone had crammed themselves into sitting positions- Charlie on the floor beside Ginny, Fred and Bill on the desk and George sat on the windowsill- Harry began.

"I'm going to start from the beginning because I don't know how much any of you know. Just- bare with me. When my parents were killed, I was sent to live with the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and my cousins, Dudley and Emily. My aunt and uncle don't like me, and for years I didn't understand why, but they told me that my parents were killed in a car crash. I never knew anything else about them and was forbidden to ask questions, so it was a bit weird when sometime last summer we started receiving letters addressed to me. They were addressed to _The cupboard under the stairs_, because until then- that was where I slept."

Harry paused as the Weasley's let out a collective gasp. I took his hand in mine and he smiled sadly, before he continued. "When the Dursleys realised that somebody knew where they were keeping me, they moved me up to the spare bedroom, told me it was now mine, but they didn't let me read the letters. I say letters, because they kept arriving- pushed through the window in the downstairs bathroom, rolled up inside eggs and milk bottles, and one memorable day about a hundred of them came careering out from the fireplace. Still, I wasn't allowed to read them and Vernon decided that he needed to run. He knew that the letters were from Hogwarts, by the way, but he didn't want me to go there. They don't like magic, my aunt and uncle, so they took us all to a hotel and when that didn't work, to a cabin on a rock out at sea. The night of my eleventh birthday, I was curled up on the wooden floor of a hut with a storm blowing outside, when something started hammering on the door- loudly. After about a minute of this, the door broke down, and Hagrid was stood in the doorway. Obviously, at this point, I had no idea who he was or what was happening, so Em and I hid in a corner whilst Hagrid came striding into the hut to start spouting about witches and wizards and Hogwarts and- it was all very bizarre to say the least. He told me about my parents, and that I was going to be coming to Hogwarts, and he took me shopping in Diagon Alley and everything. I went off to school, met you, Ron, and everything was looking alright." Harry fidgeted slightly. "Then I came back for the summer.-

"The thing is, me being at Hogwarts just convinced the Dursleys that I was more dangerous, more of a freak, than ever before. As soon as we got back from Kings Cross my wand, trunk, broom and everything else was locked inside the cupboard under the stairs- the same cupboard that they used to lock me in. Everything went back to how it had always been though. They gave me chores and as long as I completed them I didn't get punished too badly. Then one day a house elf shows up in my bedroom telling me not to go back to Hogwarts, I think I laughed myself silly, there was no way in hell an elf was going to stop me from escaping that hell hole. Em was the only living thing there that didn't flinch at the sight of me! Anyway. When Dobby told me not to go back, I realised that it was probably just a joke and to be fair after his visit he did stop interfering with my mail, but this morning Em came sprinting into my room with a letter in her hands and-"

"And Harry had the foresight to send Hedwig to you, Ron, thank goodness." I added.

Harry nodded, "I knew everything was about to blow up, and I couldn't let them start treating you like they did me. We went downstairs together but Vernon wasn't happy when Em said she was coming to Hogwarts whether he liked it or not- he lunged for her. I don't actually remember what I did, I just threw myself in front of her."

"You froze dad, and mum and Dud went crazy trying to poke him awake or something- looking back it was a little amusing actually. Then you told me to check the door and if it was a group of redheads to bring them into the kitchen. I did, and it was, and the rest of you were there for everything else that happened."

"I wasn't" Ginny mumbled, but she didn't seem much like she wanted to hear what happened either.

"Basically, Bill put up a shield of some sort that slightly electrocuted my dad, and then your dad arrived and said we were coming here."

It was very quiet in the room for a moment, before Bill spoke. His voice was low and dangerous. "You mean to tell me that for ten years you slept in a _fucking cupboard_?"

"Language, Bill," admonished Ron, but Charlie hissed.

"Fuck that, he was locked in a cupboard for his entire childhood. That _bastard_. If I ever meet him again, I'm bringing a horntail."

I don't know exactly what Charlie is threatening since I have no idea what a 'horntail' is, but his voice is indication enough that whatever he has planned for my father isn't going to be much fun to experience. Placing my hand on his arm, I hummed. "Look I want to kill them for the way they treated Harry, especially when they treated Dudley like a prince for his entire life and for the most part they treated me pretty well too. Threatening them with, whatever that is, isn't going to help. They won't ever hurt him again."

"It's a dragon," scowled Charlie. "And I don't care they deserve it."

Harry stood up, and made his way out without saying a word. I caught his eye as he closed the door behind him and noted the slight shake of his head, indicating that he didn't want anybody to follow him.

"He's okay," I said as I noticed Ron starting to get up, "Just leave him alone for a while. He really doesn't see the way they treated him, so it's strange for him to be hearing us defend him so strongly. I think this is the first time anybody has actually stood up for him, besides me I mean. Not like I could do anything to help." Then I stood myself, "Thank you for listening and all, but I need to be alone for a bit too."

I headed down the stairs and out the back door, spotting Harry on a tree stump in the corner of the garden. I wandered over. "They care," I noted as I sat beside him. He nodded simply, but kept on gazing into the distance. Curling my legs behind me, I leaned my head on Harry's bony shoulder and breathed deeply. He smelled like home and, faintly, dirt. Soon enough, despite it having barely reached midday, I found myself beginning to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

**Anybody else think my girl takes too many naps? Oops...**


End file.
